Apparatus



S. W. ALBEE.

Feeding Fowl's.

No. 9,244. Patented Sept. 7 1852.

I l h an? W 'r are.

SIMEON W. ALBEE, OF WALPOLE, NEW" HAMPSHIRE.

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CHICKENS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,244, dated September 7, 1852.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, S. V. ALBEE, of W'alpole, in the county of Cheshire and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and useful article, which I term a Fowl-Feeder, the object of which is to preserve the graln from vermin and filth, at the same tlme enabling the fowls to feed themselves at their pleasure; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descrip-- tion of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had tothe annexed drawings, making a part of this speclfication, in Which Figure l, is a front elevation, the door being closed. Fig. 2, is also a front elevation, the door being raised. Fig. 8, 1s a transverse vertical section taken through the center. Fig. 4 is a section showing one pair of steps or treadles turned up to prevent the fowls from opening the door.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures.

The nature of my invention consists in attaching and arranging doors to a suitable case in such manner that said doors will be i opened inwardly by the fowls when they tread upon steps connected by levers and rods or their equivalents to the doors as will be hereafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to clescribe fully its construction and the manner in which it operates.

A, represents a case of suitable size and shape which incloses the hopper B, and feedboxes G, C. The two sides of the hopper are inclined or placed obliquely, see Fig. 8, and immediately under the hopper where the inclined sides meet are the feed boxes. On the top of the case are two lids D, D, which allow the grain to be poured into the hopper when they are opened.

E, E, are the doors of the case. These doors are attached by curved arms ((1.) (a) (a) (a to hinges (b) (b) (b) Other arms 20) (c) (0) (c) curved in a corresponding manner are attached to the arms (a), see Figs. 1, and 8, and pass into the case A, through slots. The inner ends of these arms (0) are attached to rods (d), Fig. 8, and the lower ends of these rods are attached by pivots to the bent levers (e) (e) having their fulcra at (f). To these levers are affixed the steps F, F. Now it will be seen that as the steps F, F, are raised or lowered the doors E, E, will open or close, because When the inner ends of the bent levers (c) (e) are raised upward the inner ends of the curved arms (a) (c) which are attached to thehinges (b) will be raised upward, and as the doors E, E, at their upper parts are attached to the inner ends of the curved arms (a) the lower parts of the doors will be thrown inward and the feed boxes will be exposed, see Fig. 8, in which one door is represented as raised and the other closed. Thus the fowls are enabled to open and close the doors by alighting or treading on the steps and obtain food at their pleasure, the fowls standing on the steps while eating. When they leave the steps the doors are sufficiently heavy or they overbalance the steps sufiiciently to close by their own gravity.

It will be seen that the lower ends of the doors swing directly over the feed boxes, and that fowls are prevented from being entrapped Within the box, as the doors in closing will naturally force them out.

There are two steps to each door. The outer step G, is attached to levers (g) one of which is more particularly seen in Fig. 4:. These levers are attached to the sides of the case by pivots. The steps G, are connected to the steps F, by small chains (h) so that when the steps G, are depressed the steps F, will follow. The object in having the steps G, is that they are nearly horizontal or more so than the steps F, when the doors are closed and are thus more convenient for the fowls to step on. When the doors are open or raised both steps are horizontal, see Fig. 8.

The levers (g) have a joint (1'), Fig. 4, at about their center and the steps F, are attached to the bent levers (e) (e) by joints. These joints enable the steps to be raised or turned up against the case, see dotted lines in Fig. 4. When this is done the fowls are prevented from opening the doors, andthe case may also be carried more conveniently from one place to another when it is necessary to move it.

The wire H, on the top of the case prevents the fowls from resting on it.

The hopper B, may have partitions in it so as to contain different kinds of grain, and the feed boxes may also have corresponding partitions.

By referring to Figs. 2, and 3, the apertures (Z) in the lower part of the hopper through which the grain passes into the feed boxes will be seen, as also the slides (m) which work over apertures and regulate the supply of grain.

It will be understood that if the hopper has partitions there must be an aperture and slides to each compartment.

is a Wire which runs longitudinally along the feed box, a Wire to each box. This Wire merely prevents the fowls from pulling the grain from the hopper faster than they eat it, which they are generally inclined to do when stirring it over to choose the best kernels. The Wire is seen by dotted lines in Figs. 3, and 4:.

(70), Fig. 1, represents a small wire in-- serted through the case into the door for the purpose of permanently securing it when required.

The grain by the above invention is preserved from vermin and filth, and also from being wasted. The fowls may feed themselves at their pleasure, and may be prevented from doing so when desired by raising or turning u the steps.

The a air is not expensive to make and will undoubtedly come into general use among farmers. They may be made as represented in the drawings and be placed in a yard or be attached permanently to poultry houses.

I do not claim attaching and arrangin the doors to the case so that said doors Wil open outwardly, as this has been previously done, but, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

Attaching and arranging the doors E, E, to the case in such a manner that said doors will open inwardly instead of outwardl when the fowls tread upon the steps F, G the doors being attached to the case and arranged as described or in any equivalent Way.

SIMEON WILLARD ALBEE. Witnesses:

EDWARD W. BUFFUM,

L. WM. ALBEE. 

